Beacon of Hope: Redemption
by Dayton McCloud
Summary: The second story in the Beacon of Hope series.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm back! It's been a long while, but I'm happy to say that I will be starting to write again. I took a break due to life happening, graduating, job hunting, all sorts of stuff. I even re-wrote the first two chapters of Beacon of Hope. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Anyways, I appreciate everyone's patience and support. It really feels good to write again! I hope that you all like this new addition to the Beacon of Hope series!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Day**

"So tell me, Lance. How did you sustain those injuries the night you were in the infirmary?" Ozpin asked. He took a sip of his coffee afterwards.

Lance looked past him, out towards the giant window and the entire school beyond. He never grew tired of the view. He continued to stand there gazing at the view. He turned his attention to Ozpin, answer at the ready.

"I think you know what we were doing, don't you?" Lance asked.

Ozpin smirked at his response.

"Only slightly. I merely have an idea. If you don't wish to talk, that is fine. I understand your secrecy. Just know that I'm here to talk if you need it."

Lance looked down at the desk in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Ozpin. It's just-" Lance was cut off by Ozpin holding up a hand.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you have your reasons. I trust you, Lance. If, and or when, you feel like talking. I'll be here."

Lance just nodded, unsure of Ozpin's relaxed attitude towards the situation.

"I'm sure we'll talk later. For now I have business to attend to, and I'm sure you have studies to do."

"Yeah… Thanks Ozpin."

* * *

Lance snapped out of his recent memories and back into class. He looked over to his right to see Ruby sitting next to him, followed by the rest of his team. The class room had bleacher like seats that lined an arena. Lance found it familiar. He was in a similar room when he had his fight with Cardin and his team. That felt like forever ago since that fight. Lance looked on now, as team CRDL walked onto the arena.

"This fight's gonna be good!" Ruby said.

"Who's going up against these guys?" Lance asked.

"Pyrrha!"

Lance raised an eyebrow.

"Just Pyrrha?" He asked.

Ruby nodded, clearly excited about the imminent fight.

"This'll be something," Lance said, noticing that Pyrrha was just walking into the arena.

Both sides took up fighting positions. Without warning, team CRDL charged at her.

The fight was heated, but it was obvious who was winning. Team CRDL couldn't land a blow on her. She fought with grace and efficiency, but that's to be expected with Pyrrha.

"And that's the match," Glynda said, walking onto the arena.

"Lucky shot…" Cardin said, as he collapsed from his kneeling position.

"Well done miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament," Glynda said.

"Thank you, professor," Pyrrha said.

"Now I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers? Miss Belladonna?"

At her name being called she closed her book, snapping to attention.

"You've been rather docile for the past few classes. Why don't you-" Glynda's sentence was cut off by a student with dark gray hair raising his hand.

"I'll do it."

"Mercury, is it? Very well. Let's find you an opponent," Glynda said, turning to her tablet.

"Actually, I wanna fiiiight… Her," Mercury said, pointing to Pyrrha.

"Me?" Pyrrha said.

"I'm afraid Ms. Nikos has just finished a match. I recommend you choose another partner," Glynda said.

"No, it's fine. I'd be happy to oblige."

Mercury joined Pyrrha on the arena. Both took fighting stances. They stared each other down, but Mercury made the first move, rushing towards Pyrrha. He unleashed a kick that Pyrrha met with her shield. With her blade, she swept his other leg out from under him. He wasn't on the ground for long. He spun up and flipped away.

This time Pyrrha was the one to go on the offensive. They unleashed blow after blow, each blocking and trying to attack. Pyrrha brute forced her way through his defenses in a single shield bash that pushed him across the arena.

"Hey, your friend is doing pretty good," Ruby said, turning back to a green haired girl.

Lance just watched on, captivated by the match.

Mercury shot up into the air to unleash another barrage of kicks. Pyrrha blocked or dodged the kicks. Mercury's assault lasted for some time, Pyrrha keeping up with the kicks all the while, but eventually her sword was kicked away out of her hand.

After a brief pause, he unleashed a roundhouse kick that narrowly missed her. She then rushed to grab her sword. She began to charge her opponent, but he jumped and kicked off of her shield, landing at the edge of the arena.

She pursued her enemy, ready to strike. Although, before she even made it halfway to him, he turned back to Glynda.

"I forfeit."

Pyrrha's momentum carried her past her opponent.

"You don't even want to try?" She asked.

"What's the point? You're a world renowned fighter. We're obviously leagues apart."

"In that case, Pyrrha Nikos is the victor of the match. Again. Next time you may want to think a little harder before choosing an opponent," Glynda said.

"I'll be sure to do that," Mercury said, walking off towards the locker rooms.

The bell for the class rang.

"That is all for today. And remember, the dance is this weekend, but you all have your first mission on Monday. I will not accept _any_ excuses," Glydna said as the class was leaving.

Lance followed his team out of the classroom. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of his first mission. That and the dance the day before it. He continued following his team, lost in thought. As they walked on though, they all stopped. They were all looking back at Blake who was talking to Sun. He looked back as well.

"So I hear there's this dance going on this weekend. Sounds pretty lame, but you and me I'm thinking, not as lame, huh?" Sun said.

"What?" Blake asked.

The dance! This weekend! You wanna go or what?" Sun said, a smile on his face.

"I don't have time for a stupid dance. I thought you of all people would get that."

With that, Blake walked off, ahead of her team as well, who just stood there.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sun," Lance said.

"That seems like a good idea," Ruby said. She looked off in the direction Blake walked off on.

"She'll be okay. Just… give her time, huh?" Yang said, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"It'll be okay," Lance said as well. "I'm gonna go. I'll catch you guys later," he said, walking towards Sun, who was already about to walk away.

"Hey, Sun," Lance said, catching up to him.

"Oh, hey Lance. How's it going?"

"I'm doing well enough. How are you? I mean that whole Blake thing…"

"Oh, that. She's been under a lot of stress. That detective work we just did didn't seem to help as much as we'd thought. I'm sure she'll come around though."

"Still, I'm sorry about that."

Lance looked back to the direction Blake and the rest of his team walked off in.

"I'm sure you're right about her coming around. Besides, if she won't I'll do what I can to help her. I'm sure same goes for the rest of the team too."

Sun smiled, "Same here. Don't worry too much about me though."

"If you say so," Lance said, smiling as well.

"Thanks for checking up on me, but I think there's someone else who might need a fellow teammate to check up on her," he said, nodding his head in the direction Blake walked away.

"You're right. I'll see ya later, Sun."

"Sure thing, dude," Sun said, giving a wave as Lance left.

* * *

"Hey, Blake," Lance said.

"Hm?"

Lance leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Well… We've all noticed that you're not quite yourself and we think that you should go to the dance."

"You what!?"

"We want you to go to the dance," Ruby said.

"That's ridiculous."

"Blake, we're worried about you. This investigation is starting to mess with your head," Yang said.

"You can't sleep, you hardly eat, and to be honest your grades have been suffering," Weiss chimed in as well.

"You think I care about grades? People's lives are at stake!" Blake retorted.

"We know. And we're all still trying to figure out what Torchwick is up to," Yang said.

"Thanks to you and Sun, we know they're operating somewhere outside of South East Vale," Ruby said.

"Yeah! We're that much closer to finding out what's all going on and taking down Torchwick," Lance said.

"Also, the Schnee company records singled out Vale as the primary target for dust robberies over the last few months," Weiss added.

"Don't forget about their missing military tech too," Yang said.

"But there are still unanswered questions," Blake said.

"Blake, you won't be able to find anything if you can't keep your eyes open," Ruby said.

"All we're asking is that you take it easy for one day," Yang said, holding up a finger.

"It'll be fun! Yang and I will make sure of it," Weiss chimed in.

"Yeah, we're planning the whole event!"

"Wait, really? This is the first I've heard of it! That's awesome!" Lance said.

"Team CVFY's away mission lasted longer than expected."

"So Weiss and I were asked to pick up where they left off. And now I can make sure that you guys all have the perfect night," Yang said.

"And once it's all over we'll return to our search. Rested and ready," Weiss said, smile on her face.

"So, what do you think?" Ruby asked.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Blake. She closed her eyes and her head turned down.

"I think this is a colossal waste of time."

She got up, starting to leave. She made it to the door and opened it.

"I'll be in the library."

With that she left. Closing the door behind her.

Yang let out a sigh.

"Great…"

"She can't keep going like this," Weiss said.

"We just need to stay positive. I'm sure that eventually she'll-" Lance said, before getting cut off by a knock on the door.

Weiss got up from her seat on the bed to go and answer it. When she opened the door, all Lance heard was the sound of a guitar. Lance, Ruby, and Yang all got up to see who it was.

"Weiiiiiissss!" Sung Jaune.

He strummed the same chord a few more times before raising his fist in the air and winking at Weiss.

Weiss then closed the door on his face, crossing her arms afterwards. She had an annoyed expression on her face.

Knocking returned to the door.

"Weiss?"

More knocks. A hand raised over Weiss's face.

"Oh, come on…Open the door… I promise not to sing."

She stood there for a short time before caving and opening the door once again.

"I liiiieeed!" Jaune sung.

There was a pause in the singing. During the pause, the hand that left Weiss's face returned.

"Weiss Schnee. Will you accompany me? To the daaance oooon!" He paused, looking away for a second.

"Sundaayyyyy!" He finished.

"Are you done?"

"Yes?"

"No."

The door was shut in Jaune's face again.

Everyone stared at Weiss.

"What?"

"And that's why they call you the ice queen," Yang said.

"All my life boys have only cared about the perks of my last name. Besides, I already have a date in mind."

"Still Weiss. That was just… Cold," Lance said, only half joking.

"Quiet you!"

"Date or no date, none of this will matter if we can't get Blake to go," Ruby said.

A silence came over the room between them all. Lance looked out the open window, into the night sky. He walked over and rested his hands on the window sill.

"Ruby's right," Lance said.

"We'll get her to come around though. I'm sure of it." He said, turning around, grin on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I'm working on writing still, haha. I just kinda get all self doubt and stuff. Writers block at times and such, but I just keep at it. Only one way to get better, right? I just want to make sure I am satisfied with the direction and don't make any mistakes (or as many) like I did in the previous "book". I think I said it before, but there are definite things I want to change in the story. The writing in the original was kinda... not great. But they were stepping stones. Anyways, I'm just rambling. Before reading I have something I've been meaning to say or show, but felt I couldn't properly show without going back. Just for future reference Lance's sword is called Regalia. I'll mention the name in the story later, but thanks for reading this wall of text and enjoy chapter two!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Preperations**

Lance took care while hanging the streamers along the railings of the second floor of the ballroom. He stood on his ladder, trying to reach for the place that the streamer in his hand would go.

"Just a little…"

Lance started to lose his balance, but managed to steady himself. He let out a sigh of relief once he regained his balance. He looked over at the spot the streamers should be hanging from now, furrowing his brows. He reached out once again and got it.

Lance descended the ladder, taking a few steps back once his feet were back on the ground to admire his work. He smiled as he saw the streamers hanging in place.

A sudden loud thud echoed through the room. Lance turned to see Yang, just finishing placing a massive speaker near the stage. Weiss was walking over to him as well.

"Oh, hey Weiss."

"Ruby couldn't help me, so here."

She held out two, flat, squares of very similar color.

"I need you to pick a tablecloth."

"Oh, uhhhmmm…" Lance hummed, bringing his hand to his chin.

"Uhhh. Hmm."

"Well?" Weiss said.

"Uhh, this one," Lance said, pointing at the one in her right hand.

A smile came to her face.

"I'm glad you think so. I was thinking that one would fit better with the aesthetic anyways. Thank you."

Yeah, don't mention it," He said as she walked off.

Lance walked over to the table Ruby was sitting at, with Yang standing next to her.

"Weiss! I thought we agreed. No doilies!" Yang said.

"If I don't get doilies, you don't get fog machines," Weiss retorted, walking over to Yang.

Lance looked between the two before they heard the main door open.

"Your dance is gonna have fog machines?" Neptune asked, walking over to them with Sun in tow.

"We were thinking about it," Weiss said, meeting them halfway.

"That's pretty cool."

"You ladies all excited for dress-up? Well, uhh, and Lance."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Lance said.

"It was a joke, dude," He said laughing.

"Laugh all you want. I'll be turning heads tomorrow night," Yang said.

"What're you two wearing?" Weiss asked.

"Uhh, this?" Sun said.

Neptune stepped in front of him, holding up a hand.

"Ignore him. For he knows not what he says."

"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I grew up in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt and tie kinda place."

"Yeah, we've noticed," Yang said.

"So, uhh, what does Blake think of all this? Is she still being all, y'know. Blake-y?" Sun asked.

"Obviously," Weiss said.

"Well, you could say that, yeah," Lance added.

"I still can't think of a way to change her mind," Ruby said, resting her had on her hand.

"Guys, trust me. Blake will be at the dance tomorrow," Yang said.

Yang walked off with a smirk, leaving confused faces on everyone.

"How can she be so sure?" Weiss asked.

"We just gotta trust her. I think she knows what she's doing," Lance said.

* * *

"This is the last thing, right?" Lance said, his voice shaking.

"This is the last thing, yes," Weiss said.

Lance's arms felt like they were on fire. The weight of the speaker he was carrying weighed down on him.

"Here should do," Weiss said.

"Gah!"

A loud thud echoed throughout the room and Lance collapsed onto his back.

"Oh, don't be so over dramatic. The speaker Yang carried was far heavier."

Lance just laid there, catching his breath.

"Here," Weiss said, holding out a hand.

Lance took it and was helped up off the ground.

"Thanks, Weiss."

"I should be the one thanking you. Anyways, I think I'm going to sort out a few thing around here before leaving."

"Sounds good. I'll see you later," Lance said waving.

He walked out the main door leading outside.

Lance began his trek back to the dorm room.

"Hey!"

Hearing the voice, Lance turned to see Jaune approach him.

"Hey, Jaune! Good to see ya."

"You too, but uhhh. Are you alright?"

"Alright? Yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"Well, you sort of had this worried face," He said, motioning to his own face.

"I did? Oh, huh…"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"It's just… I'm sort of worked up about the dance tomorrow," Lance said.

"Oh, c'mon, dances are supposed to be fun, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I've never been to many and I don't really have a uhm…"

"A what?"

"A date…"

"Really? You know you're in a team full of girls, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Lance asked. He could feel his cheeks heat up a bit.

"Well, do you have anyone in mind?"

"Well, kinda. Yeah."

"Do you mind if I ask who?"

"Well, uhh… Y'know, maybe if I just go alone it'll be fine,"

"Are you sure? I say that you just go up to whatever lucky girl it is and just ask."

"Maybe you're right, Jaune, but I don't know. I'm still sort of on the fence about this."

"Clock's-a-tickin'. Uhh, not to pressure you or anything."

"Haha, thanks, Jaune."

"But really, if you need to talk to someone. Well, another guy to talk to. I'm here for ya!"

"Right back at ya."

* * *

Lance rounded the corner of the hallway, heading back to his dorm. He saw Ruby just unlocking the door to their room. She was looking down, a slight frown on her face.

"Oh, hey Ruby."

"Hey," She said.

"Still not certain about Blake going to the dance?"

"A bit. I can't help but worry."

"I understand. It's hard to watch her wear herself out." Lance said, frowning

Ruby's gaze turned down as she opened the door.

"It is. I just wish there was more we could do."

"Yang seems to have a plan from the sounds of it. She said Blake would be at the dance tomorrow. For now, don't worry about it, alright? I have confidence in  
Yang."

"You're right. Thanks, Lance," She said, a smile beginning to form on her face.

"Don't mention it, Ruby," he said, smiling back.

Both of them entered their dorm, Lance heading for one of the beds. Ruby going to the other.

"So, excited for the dance?" Lance asked.

"Eh, kinda. I'm more excited about our first mission."

"Same here. We get to shadow an actual hunter too, right?"

"Yeah! It's gonna be soooo cool!"

"You're telling me! I wonder who we're gonna be shadowing?"

"Not sure. Whoever it is, I think it'll still be cool."

"For sure."

Lance put his hands behind his head, staring at the bottom of the bed above him.

"Do you think anyone cares that we have bunk beds in our dorm?"

"Eh. Nobody told us we couldn't," Ruby replied with a laugh.

"I guess you have a point," Lance said laughing too.

"So, I guess Weiss has a date to the dance," Ruby said.

"Yeah, I wonder who it is. Guess we'll find out tomorrow, huh?"

"Yup!"

"I knew that Weiss had a heart somewhere," Lance jested.

They both started to laugh at the joke.

"Hey, speaking of which, I wonder where everyone else is."

"Yeah, I dunno."

Lance sat up on the bed, stretching once he was up.

"Actually, that reminds me. I needed to talk to Yang."

"Oh, well let's see…" Ruby said, bringing a finger to her chin. "I think the last I saw her was earlier today when we were all setting up for the dance."

"I'll do what I can to find her. It'll give me something to do anyways."

"Alright, I'll be here."

"See ya!" Lance said, leaving the dorm.

* * *

Lance opened the library door, stepping out.

"Let's see…" He said.

He looked around, picked a direction, and started walking. The search remained fruitless as time passed on. He looked out one of the windows to see the sky turning orange. He quickened his pace. His eyes scanning twice as fast as he walked.

More time passed as Lance's search continued.

"Gah, it's hopeless," He said, leaning against a wall.

Lance heard voices coming from the room to his left. He peered inside, cracking the door a little wider. He saw Blake and Yang in the room towards where the chalkboard was. There was a symbol that resembled a wing with a few cogs towards the base of the wing.

"You don't understand. I'm the only one who can do this!"

"No, you don't understand!" Yang said, turning around to face Blake. "If Roman Torchwick walked through that door what would you do!?" She continued, pointing to the door. Lance hid around the corner a little more at the action. Still peeking as best as he could.

"I'd fight him!"

"You'd lose!" Yang said, shoving Blake.

She caught herself on the table behind her.

"I can stop him!" She said, attempting to shove back.

"You can't even stop me!" Yang said, pushing her once again.

Blake fell further onto the desk with that last shove.

Yang dropped her aggressive stance as Blake regained her composure. Yang took a few steps forward, embracing Blake.

"I'm not asking you to stop. Just please… get some rest. Not just for you, but for the people you care about," Yang said.

She broke off the hug and began walking up the steps towards the door. Lance was about to move, but Yang turned back around.

"And if you feel like coming out tomorrow, I'll save you a dance."

She turned back and continued towards the door. Lance got up, ready to get out of there as fast as he could, but as he was backing away from the door and turning, he stumbled. He caught his footing as quick as he could, half a foot away from rounding the corner.

"Lance?"

He froze in his tracks, coming to an immediate halt.

"Heeeeyyyyy, Yang," He said, turning around

"Were you eavesdropping?"

"What, me? Eavesdrop? Heheheh… ehh…"

"When did you start listening?"

"About when things kinda got heated. There was a bit of pushing and then it kinda turned around. I didn't really mean to eavesdrop though! I was looking for you and just so happened to, uhm. Well… End up here." He fumbled a bit over his words.

Yang cracked a smile, walking past him a bit.

"C'mon, let's take a walk," she said.

Lance followed behind her, catching up to walk by her side.

"I'm sorry about the whole eavesdropping thing though."

"Don't worry about it. And besides, you're cute when you're embarrassed."

"What? ...N-no..." Lance said, at a loss for words.

Yang giggled at the red faced Lance.

"So you were looking for me?"

"Oh, right. Uhm, well. I kinda had a question."

"A question, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Sooo, fire away."

Lance slowed his pace until he came to a halt. Yang walked on a bit before noticing that he fell behind. She turned and gave an inquisitive look.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the dance with me tomorrow," He said.

Yang smiled, walking over to Lance. Closing the gap that was between them.

"I would love to go!"

"I'm glad to hear," Lance said smiling.

He felt her hands in his.

"Although, I do have some responsibilities since team CVFY is away still."

"I understand, so no worries."

She smiled back as well, and he got lost once again in her beauty.

She started walking, still holding onto one of Lance's hands. They made their way out the door leading outside. The sun was setting and they both had smiles on their faces, feeling as if everything was right in the world. With the dance the next day and their first mission the following day, Lance felt excitement well up inside him. He looked over to Yang and thought nothing could ruin this moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, another chapter down, another who knows how many to go! I enjoyed writing this chapter, despite having a bit of writers block, but I think all in all it came out well. I'll leave that up to you guys and gals though. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Dancing the Night Away**

Lance adjusted the tie on his school uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror, fixing a part of his hair. He smiled and nodded as he looked at his reflection.

"You look good," Ruby said.

"Oh, heh. Thanks."

He turned and saw her in her dark red dress with black accents that went to about her knees.

"Y-you look beautiful," He said.

Lance couldn't quite find the right words.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Oh, thanks, Lance. I appreciate it. I don't really like dressing up like this."

Her face grew flush, if only a little. She held her hands in front of her. Her gaze turning somewhat down.

"Where is everyone else? I take it they're all ready?"

"Yeah, I think Yang and Weiss went early and Blake left all dressed up."

"So we're the last ones then, huh?"

"Well, the dance doesn't start for another half hour, so if we leave soon I think we'd be fine."

"I think I'm pretty much ready."

"Me too," Ruby said, nodding.

"Well, shall we get going?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Lance started walking towards the dorm's door. He grabbed hold of the nob, ready to open it for Ruby. She walked over as well, but she struggled with her heels.

"You okay?" Lance asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm… Fine!" She said with a yelp as she tripped, falling forward onto Lance, who caught her just in time.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks, Lance," She said, looking at him. He smiled when he noticed that her face was a tad bit redder than before.

"Let's get you balanced," He said, helping her.

"Sorry about that."

"Oh, don't mention it. I'm just glad you didn't fall."

"Same here, heheh…" she said, rubbing her arm.

Lance opened the door.

"After you," He said.

"Thanks," She said, smiling and began to walk through the door. Once she was through, Lance followed, closing the door behind them.

"Awww, you look beautiful!" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby struggled as she continued walking as Lance was behind her.

"Can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby asked.

Yang laughed as she struggled to walk and keep her balance. Lance had a bit of a laugh as well.

"You look very handsome as well, Lance," Yang said, imitating a purr.

"I try," Lance said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You look beautiful as well, ya know," He replied, walking over to the podium she was at.

She wore a simple yet stunning white dress that went to about her knees as well.

"Thank you, Lance," She said, with a smile that was contagious. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"Have you seen Weiss or Blake yet?" Ruby asked.

"Weiss is here, but I haven't seen Blake yet," Yang said.

"Huh. I thought for sure she'd beat us here," Lance said.

As if on cue, the door opened, revealing Blake on the arm of Sun. Sun had a similar shirt to his usual, but black and buttoned up, along with a tie. Blake wore a black dress, but it seemed to have a purple hue to it. She also wore a different, teal-ish, bow.

"You guys made it!" Yang said.

"Of course we made it. We weren't planning on missing out on the fun," Sun said.

"The party's just starting, so come on in."

"Gladly," Blake said.

* * *

Lance stood off to the side, along with Weiss and Ruby. They watched the students dance to a graceful melody that carried through the ballroom. Lance looked into the crowd of dancing students to see Yang dancing with Blake.

"I'm glad that she decided to come to the dance," He said.

"Me too. It looks like she's really having fun," Ruby said.

Yang and Blake finished their dance by doing a small bow to each other. Sun walked over to continue dancing with Blake as Yang walked over to the rest of team RWBY.

"Told ya she would come," She said.

"Mission accomplished," Weiss replied.

"So… what do we do now?" Ruby asked.

"Just have fun!" Yang said, grabbing Lance by the arm and walking to the dance floor.

"Does that mean I can change out of these stupid things and into my hood now?" Lance heard Ruby say as they walked off.

Yang took Lance's hand in hers. Lance looked to see how everybody else was dancing and pieced together the posture and where the other hand went, which was on Yang's hip. They began to dance, and Lance felt his nerves getting to him. He tried to keep up with the pace of the dance, but he was still somewhat stiff.

He heard Yang giggle as they continued to dance.

"What?" Lance asked.

"You're nervous. I can see it on your face… and the way you dance," She said, giggling still.

"W-well, a little, I guess."

"Just relax," She said, her giggling subsided. She looked at him with a warm smile and he felt his nervousness and anxiety melt away. His rigid as rocks posture became much more manageable and natural. They looked into each other's eyes as they danced. Lance was keeping time and his form was notably better than before.

Yang's smile didn't leave her face, and Lance could tell he probably had a similar smile on his. They danced until the song came to a close. Lance pulled her into a hug as the song was just about to end. They swayed to the last notes of the song.

She broke the hug, grabbing one of Lance's hands.

"I kinda have to go back to the podium," She said.

"It's no worries. Maybe we can try fit in another dance later on," He replied.

"That sounds great, Lance," She said letting go of his hand. "I'm looking forward to it."

With that she walked away, back to her spot near the entrance.

Lance walked back over to Ruby, who was standing over by the punch bowl.

"Hey," He said as he walked over.

"Hey there."

Lance poured himself some punch and joined her.

"Seems like everyone's having a good time."

"Uhh huh… If you call this a good time."

"I'm not huge on dances either, but ya gotta at least be having a little fun, right?"

"Eh. I'm just not really into dressing up. Or dancing."

"Oh, c'mon. Well, how about we-"

Lance stopped his sentence as he noticed Jaune walking over to them.

"Hey guys. Not dancing? Just uh. Hangin' by the punch bowl."

"Yyyup," Ruby said.

"Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss," She said.

"Mehh. It's fine. Neptune's pretty cool. I get why she went with him."

"Huh?" Lance said.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"Well, c'mon. Not many people can pull off blue hair," Jaune said.

"No, I mean, Weiss came to the dance alone."

Jaune choked on the punch he was drinking.

"Uh, what?" He asked through his coughing fit.

"Yyyeah. This is the first I've heard of Neptune," Lance said.

"Yeah, she said she had too much to focus on to worry about boys," Ruby added.

Jaune had a moment of silence. Lance traced his eye line to Weiss. It then shifted over to where Sun, Blake, and Neptune were.

"Hold. My. Punch," He said, handing his glass to Ruby. He walked with conviction off into the throng of people.

"Huh," Lance said. "I guess the Neptune thing kinda makes sense, right?" He asked, turning to Ruby, who took a drink out of Jaune's glass.

"R-Ruby!?" He said.

"What?"

"Nevermind," he sighed.

He took a drink from his own glass and started people watching.

"Oh, you were saying something before Jaune showed up?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, yeah, that. I was just gonna say maybe we should dance. Y'know, it'd be fun."

"I dunno, I'm not really a dance-y… dancer. Besides, I gotta hold Jaune's punch."

"Oh c'mon, I'm not really either. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I danced since today. It beats the heck out of sitting at the punch bowl."

Ruby looked over to Lance, a curious look on her face.

"And besides, Jaune's drink won't go anywhere if you set it down for a few minutes."

Ruby smiled.

"I dunno, it's just all the… people. And the dancing…"

"We can dance somewhere else. How about we go up to the second floor where we can still hear the music and there aren't as many people there?"

"Hmmm…"

"One dance. That's all I ask."

"Hmm… Well… One dance wouldn't hurt," She said, putting both of the glasses of punch down on the table.

Lance set his down as well.

"Ready?"

"Mhm," She replied.

They then went up the staircase to a more unpopulated area.

"I don't dance, sooo don't laugh at me," She said.

"Don't worry, Ruby. I won't laugh. To be fair, I barely know how to do this," Lance replied with a short laugh.

Lance grabbed her hand, and mimicked the dancing position like before.

"Follow my lead, okay?"

Ruby nodded her response.

They began to dance to the music.

"Y'know, this isn't so bad," She said.

"I told ya," Lance said with a smile.

They continued to dance until the song ended.

"That was actually pretty fun Lance. Thank you," She said.

Lance saw Ruby's cheeks turn a slight shade of red.

"No problem, Ruby. Anytime."

They returned to their spot at the punch bowl.

"Ohh geez," Lance said.

"What?"

"Jaune's punch is gone…"

* * *

Lance and Yang looked down from the second floor railing at all the sea of dancing students. He couldn't help but smile as he thought back on the night thus far. He felt Yang's hand wrap around his.

"What'cha smiling about?"

"Just the dance. Seeing everyone having such a good time and all. That and the fun I've been having tonight too."

"So far it has been a really good night, huh?"

"Definitely."

He looked back out, spotting his friends amongst the ocean of the few unfamiliar faces and classmates. He felt a warmth inside him. He turned his head to soak in the beauty of Yang that seemed to be radiating from her. Especially so tonight.

She noticed his gaze and met it with her own.

"Y'know, you really did do a great job with this," Lance said.

"What can I say? I try. I had help too, you know."

"Even so, I appreciate all you did for this."

"You helped too," She said, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"I know, but still."

"That's sweet, Lance. Thank you."

Her lilac eyes locked with his own once again. His heart was racing but that didn't matter to him.

She giggled, raising a hand to her face as she did.

"You're such a dork, you know that, right?"

"Haha, yeah, I know," He said as they returned to their spot on the railing.

"Dork in a good way though."

They continued to relax and enjoy their time in each other's company, but soon enough Ruby walked over.

"Hey guys," She said.

"Hey Ruby," Lance said.

"Yo sis," Yang said as well.

She joined them on the railing as well.

"Y'know, I think we really needed this," Yang said.

"Yeah, and you did a great job planning it too," Ruby said.

"That's funny. Lance said the same thing. Makes me think maybe I did do a good job. It wasn't all me though. Weiss helped a lot too. And Lance, I guess," She jested.

"Hey, I carried one of those massive speakers. Barely, but I did…"

"The one I carried was bigger," She said, very matter of fact.

"Oh yeah?... I got nothing," He said, slumping on the railing.

They all had a laugh at the banter between them.

"Tomorrow it's back to work," Yang said.

"Well, I'm sure we can handle whatever gets thrown at us," Ruby replied.

At that, they heard laughter coming from below. It spread like a wildfire amongst the students, piquing their interest.

"Except for that," Ruby said.

"Except for what? Ohhh," Lance said upon seeing the subject of laughter.

Jaune was making his way through the crowd wearing a white dress.

"Wwwwow," Yang said.

"Never thought I'd see that," Ruby said.

"Yeah, same here," Lance chimed in.

Shortly after Jaune's entry in his new attire, Jaune offered Pyrrha to dance. Before anyone knew it, the entirety of team JNPR broke out into a synchronized dance, as if they were some pop band. Not only were they dancing, but the whole dancefloor began to dance around them.

"What is going on?" Lance said, laughing.

"C'mon! Let's go down and join the fun!" Yang said, pulling Lance by the arm.

"Hey, w-wait!"

* * *

Lance stumbled out of the crowd of dancing people, feeling as if the floor was somewhat shifting beneath his feet.

"Lance, where are you going?" Yang said, heading over to him, wrapping around Lance's arm.

"Oh, just was gonna head out for some fresh air," He stammered.

"Don't take too long, kay?" She said, winking at him.

"I shouldn't be too long," He said, feeling his face turn redder.

She let go of his arm, waving as he made his way outside. Taking a deep breath of the night air in, he smiled to himself. He felt as if everything was right in the world. Part of him wished the world would stay still so he could hold onto this moment. He sighed, leaning against one of the walls.

"Huh?" Lance said.

He looked out at what caught his attention.

"Is that Ruby?" He asked.

Before he could get a close enough look, she wandered off around a building. He followed her trail up to a giant tower that was the Cross Continental Transmission tower.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?"

"Ah! Lance, you scared me."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just curious as to why you're out here."

She looked over to the open entrance to the CCT.

"I think I saw someone. I was following them and it led me to here."

"Wait, really?"

"C'mon, we should keep moving," She said.

She stopped dead in her tracks though after she took a few short steps forward.

"What is it?" Lance said.

He walked over and saw a guard in the bushes, unconscious.

"Oh no… this isn't good…" Lance said.

Ruby reached for her scroll, punched in a few numbers. Lance noticed and followed suit.

Shortly after two of the school's lockers careened and impacted the ground. They opened to reveal Crescent Rose and Regalia in their respective lockers.

Grabbing their weapons, they made their way into the CCT.


	4. Chapter 4

**So sorry it took! My Microsoft Word had some technical problems, but all are resolved now! I can't help but feel a little late, but better late than never! At any rate, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I'll do what I can now to stay on top of things in my busy life!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Party Crasher**

Once inside the CCT, more unconscious guards littered the ground. Lance and Ruby walked with caution. Lance continued into the center of the room, uneasiness washing over him like a capsizing ship. He wanted to say something, but thought it best to keep his mouth shut.

"Hey, Lance," Ruby said.

She nodded her head towards the elevator.

"It seems like nobody's down here. Let's head to the top," She continued.

"Right. Let's go."

Hopping into the elevator, Ruby pushed the button for the top floor.

"Top floor?" Lance asked.

"If anybody is trying to break in, my guess is that they'd want to head to the top."

"That makes sense. Most of the access is there. It's worth a shot."

The elevator ascended towards the top of the massive tower. Lance shifted his weight, focusing on getting ready for anything that might come their way.

The elevator came to a halt. Ruby brought up her Crescent Rose, and Lance readying Regalia. The doors then slid open with a swoosh. They stood in the elevator for a second. They shot each other a quick look before heading inside. More of the same awaited the room. Although there were beeps whirs coming from the active computers.

"Do these things stay on, or?" Lance said.

"Dunno. Someone has to be in here though."

They moved further into the room. The room had an odd air about it that made Lance that much more cautious.

"Hello?" Ruby called into the room.

Shortly after her call, a woman dressed in black, wearing a masquerade mask stood from behind a desk.

"Excuse me. Y'know, it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-" Ruby said. Before she could finish her sentence, the masked woman pulled out a cylinder of dust, whipped it in an arc in front of her. In its trail it created dust crystals that she shot towards Ruby.

She spun her scythe, shattering the crystals before they met their mark. She stumbled back at the suddenness of the attack. Lance rushed towards the adversary. Ruby shot back, but the shots were deflected by the masked woman with just a hand; her outfit glowed orange in spots as she deflected.

Lance charged his aura into Regalia and slashed, sending a projectile in the shape of the arc he swung. Fire followed her hands as blades as black as her outfit were put in the flame's place. In one seamless motion as the blades were conjured, she cut Lance's aura attack as it careened off, breaking a few of the windows far behind her.

He closed the gap, raising his sword and bringing it down as he descended from his leap. Their weapons met in a clash. Before Lance could even land, she spun out of the way, disengaging the clash. Lance's momentum carried him as he stumbled forward. She kicked him back, hitting one of the computer consoles.

"Gah!"

Ruby rushed into action as well, firing her weapon behind her, using the recoil to propel her towards the woman. The scythe hit the ground as she back flipped out of the way. She hopped into the air and the blades combined into a bow. She notched three arrows, shooting them at Ruby. The shots exploded in front of her, sending her back a bit without losing her footing.

Lance, seeing an opportunity to attack, rushed towards her. He swung at her, spinning to carry momentum in the swing. The bow reverted back into its double blade mode. She met his blade with her own. He swung another three times in a string of attacks. All of which were blocked.

They both disengaged. Lance stared down the woman. Her amber eyes almost seemed to burn. Just then, the elevator door opened. Lance and Ruby turned to see who was in the elevator.

A man clad in white with short black hair that was greying around his sideburns stepped out. He wore a single glove and gave off an air of formality, as well as command. Lance didn't look for too long before turning back, striking a fighting stance. His eyes widened as he found no opponent in sight.

Lance sighed, lowering his guard.

"What happened here?" The man asked, walking over to them.

"Okay, I know this looks bad, but there was this woman here who attacked us," Ruby explained.

"Okay, slow down. Tell me what happened. From the start."

"Gladly, but who are you?" Lance asked.

"I'm general Ironwood. I take it you are students from Beacon, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right, sir."

"No need for the formalities. I need to contact the authorities. Afterwards how about we discuss what happened?"

* * *

"I understand that you two must be exhausted after what transpired, but I appreciate the information you could give us. Please, head back to your dorms and rest," Ironwood said.

"Will do. I'm glad we could fill you in as best we could," Lance said. Ruby nodded after his words.

Ironwood nodded his response. He turned and walked off towards one of the soldiers.

Ruby and Lance descended the elevator in silence. As they left, guards were cleaning up the mess made by the intruder. More soldiers were outside the CCT as well, all working towards the same clean up effort.

"Well, tonight's been… interesting. To say the least," Lance said.

"No kidding. I don't know how that woman broke into the CCT and escaped both of us."

"It's almost as if she just vanished. I don't get it either."

Both of them hung their heads as they continued.

"Well, we did what we could, right?" Ruby said.

"Yeah," Lance said with a sigh. "I guess you're right."

He turned and smiled, getting a smile from Ruby as well.

"At any rate, I think I'm ready for sleep. Maybe we should stop by the dance first?" He asked.

"It's already way past midnight. I doubt that the dance is still going on."

"Fair enough. Sleep it is then!"

He stretched his arms above his head, letting out a yawn as he did so.

"By the way, you fought well."

"You think? Well, I try, heh… Thank you, Ruby. Y'know you fought really well yourself."

"Thanks. I just wish that woman didn't get away."

She brought a hand to her chin in contemplation.

"We did what we could, right? Let's just head back to the dorm and get some rest. I'd say that we earned it."

* * *

Lance looked down at his scroll, which was open to a message from Ozpin.

"It says meet in his office at nine. Guess we should get going, huh?"

"Yup," Ruby said.

Lance and Ruby walked on towards the elevator that went to Ozpin's office. Once they made it to the elevator. They went inside and Lance pressed the top floor. Ruby shifted a bit before pressing another few buttons.

"Ruby?"

"What?" she said, pressing a few more.

"What are you doing?"

"Nooooothing."

She pressed the last button and stood next to Lance with a smile.

Lance sighed, but couldn't help smiling looking at the satisfaction on her face.

The elevators stopped at each floor, making their ascent a slow one, but the elevator finally reached its intended destination. The door opened after a few beeps.

As they walked in Lance noticed General Ironwood and Glynda in the room along with Ozpin who was sitting at his desk.

"Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons in the elevator on the way up here… It wasn't me," Ruby said.

"Thank you for coming Ruby. Lance. How are you two feeling?" Ozpin said.

"Okay, I guess. I'd feel better if my bad guy catching record wasn't oh for three, heheh."

Lance cracked a smile but then saw the serious tone on the faces of Ozpin and the others.

"Okay, that's the tone we're going for. Got it," Ruby said.

"I'm doing well, Ozpin," Lance said.

"I feel it's appropriate to let you two know that what you did last night is exactly what being a hunter and huntress is all about. You recognized a threat, you took action, and you did the best you could."

"Thank you sir," They both replied.

"Now, the general here has already informed us of the events that transpired last night, but now that you've rested we were wondering if either of you had anything to add," Ozpin said.

"Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar at all?" Glynda asked.

"I… uh… I don't know. She was wearing a mask and she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her semblance though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked," Ruby said.

"She knew what she was doing too. Her weapons were glass like Ruby said. The weapons she used were two swords, but they also became a bow," Lance added.

"Hmm. Save for the glass weapons that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby." Glynda said.

"Embedding Dust into clothing is an age old technique. It could've been anyone," Ironwood said.

"Wait. You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin raised a hand to his chin.

"It's possible… But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together."

"Actually, I think I remember her saying something about a hideout or something in the South East. Just outside the kingdom. Right, Lance?"

"Oh, uh, yup! I recall her saying something about a hideout."

Ozpin cracked a smirk.

"Interesting."

"I thought you said that the intruder never-" Glynda began.

"Thank you for your cooperation Ruby and Lance. Why don't you go spend some time with your team? You have a big day ahead of you." Ozpin said.

"Anytime," Ruby said.

"No problem," Lance said.

They began heading towards the elevator.

"Oh, and please try and be discrete about this matter," Ozpin said.

"Yes sir," Ruby said.

"Of course," Lance also replied.

* * *

"That was a risky move," Weiss said.

"No, I think you handled it well," Blake said.

Lance nodded in response.

"To be completely honest, she did most the talking. She did really well."

"Heh, thanks. I hope so," Ruby said.

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby," Yang said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, I know what will cheer you up!" She continued.

"What's that?"

"I don't know yet. Dad sent it to us and I thought we could open it together."

"Ahhhh, something from home!" She squealed

Yang grabbed a small poster tube from the desk next to her. Ruby reached for it, but with a single motion, Yang opened the tube. Out popped a shape the size of the tube. It bounced twice, then on the third bounce, it popped up into a small dog with dark fur and stubby legs.

"Zwei!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping in the air as well.

"He sent a dog!?" Blake said.

"In the mail?" Weiss added.

Ruby had Zwei in her arms. Lance looked down at Zwei as well, petting him a bit too.

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time," Yang said.

"Your father or your dog?" Blake said, who somehow was on the top bunk with a sour expression on her face.

"Sounds like you guys have got a pretty cool dad," Lance said, petting Zwei, who hopped into his arms and started licking his face.

"Haha, hey!"

"Are you telling me that this mangy… drooling… mutt… is going to wive wif us fowever? Oh yes he is, yes he is!" Weiss said.

"Please keep it away from my belongings," Blake said.

Just then Glynda's voice came through the schools intercom.

"Would all first year students please report to the amphitheater."

Lance set Zwei down.

"Well, looks like that's us."

"Well we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week," Weiss said.

"Look, there's a letter," Yang said.

She reached into the tube and produced a sheet of paper.

"Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang."

She flipped the tube upside down and cans of food spilled out onto the floor.

"Uhm, what? Isn't that a lot of food? Plus it's canned…" Lance said.

Yang reached in and grabbed a can opener from the tube.

"There! Problem solved. C'mon, Zwei will be here when we get back."

Yang dropped the letter and threw the can opener on the pile of canned dog food. She then left for the door.

"Oh I'll miss you so much, we'll be best friends, I can't wait to see you again," Weiss said, as she made her way to the door.

Blake hopped from the top bunk to the desk, then leapt for the door.

"Wait, can he really open these cans himself?" Lance asked, attempting to catch up.

* * *

The amphitheater was filled with first year students. Lance smiled as he walked in. It reminded of his first day at Beacon. Not only first years from Beacon were there though. Students from the other schools as well were in the theater grouped by school.

"Quiet. Quiet please," Glynda said.

She stood on stage with Ozpin at her side. Ruby set her backpack down with all the other bags and joined the rest of her team. Team JNPR were right behind where they were standing as well.

"Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin."

Glynda walked off stage as Ozpin stood in front of the microphone.

"Today we stand together united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly eighty years ago the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons; one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware that was something many could not stand for."

Lance stood, captivated by his speech. The whole room was quiet, save for Ozpins voice.

"As a result, those who opposed this Tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself. Color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it was a trend that has held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united, but this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses work to uphold it. As first year students you will be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

He walked away from the microphone, an applause accompanying his leave.


	5. Chapter 5

**So I've been thinking... I kinda want to re-write BoH. At least the first group of chapters so to say or "books". I genuinely don't know what else to call them. I'm sure I brought it up before, but there's things that bug me about the story back then. Things from writing style to character continuity issues, still figuring out Lance and his friends and family, and just certain events. Of course I'm happy with what I'm writing now and the latter part of the first "book", but I don't want to say that, "Oh, it gets good about halfway through book one." Maybe I'm over thinking it, but regardless, I think I'm just gonna keep writing for this second book thing and see where it takes me. If I were to redo the first book or whatever, it wouldn't effect this one all that much honestly. At least I'm fairly positive it wouldn't. If anyone would be interested in seeing the changes I'd make in book one please let me know in a review, PM, or any other way you can reach me via . If you like the new chapter too, leave a review! I'd love to hear feedback, learn tips, figure out what I did wrong or could do better. It's all good! I greatly appreciate it and I hope that you like this new chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Huntsman's Shadow**

"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the South-East!" Ruby said.

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip at night," Yang said.

"Let's check search and destroy," Weiss said.

They walked over to one of the many panels around the amphitheater. Lance scanned the board and brought up a finger to one of the options.

"Here's one."

"Quadrant five? Well, it's in the South-East" Blake said.

"Sounds perfect," Yang chimed in.

Ruby selected the mission and typed in their team name. An error chime along with red text popped up on the screen.

Weiss rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

"Wonderful."

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

Lance brought a hand up to his chin.

"We could try turning it off and on again," He said.

"Ugh…" Weiss said while Ruby and Yang chuckled.

"Really though, hear me out. We could mail ourselves there!" Ruby said.

"Well, that's one option," Ozpin's voice said.

He walked up to the group, holding his scroll in one hand and his cane in the other.

"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first year students. It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact I have this sneaking suspicion that the five of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

Ruby was rubbing the back of her head, a nervous, toothy grin on her face.

"Whatever makes you say that?"

"I'm still curious as to how you all found yourselves at the docks last semester. I'm interested to know how you really learned about a 'hide out' in the South-East, and I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago. Lance's injuries bring up suspicion as well for that matter."

Lance and Ruby were searching for their next excuse or out, but Ozpin just smiled.

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for. So how about this? Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?"

With a few button presses on his scroll, the mission board approved team RWBY on the mission. Everyone shot beaming smiles at Ozpin.

"We won't let you down. Thank you professor," Ruby said.

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand. The things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times and do exactly what he says. He will be leading you on this mission and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory."

He left with those words dangling over the group, who all just looked at each other perplexed.

"Good luck," he said, returning just to leave as quickly as he came.

* * *

They walked along the main path towards the courtyard. Their smiling faces gone, and in their places were more stoic, serious, faces. Lance felt purpose with each step he took towards the courtyard. His heart was ablaze with the opportunity to test his mettle and make Ozpin and his team proud. This was his second chance. He wouldn't lose it.

"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang said.

"Well, it's the truth," Blake said

"It's gonna be tough but I know we can do it," Ruby said.

"Ruby's right. Let's take this opportunity and show 'em what we're made of," Lance said.

"Right," Yang and Ruby said.

"Agreed. Let's do what we can," Weiss said.

They made it to the courtyard. A student walked past them, pointing towards a gathering of other students.

"Hey, team CVFY is back," He said.

They walked through the small crowd. Team RWBY joined up with the crowd and ultimately, caught up to team CVFY.

"Velvet? Are you okay?" Blake asked.

The girl Faunus with rabbit ears, dressed in brown attire turned. She had brown hair and eyes as well.

"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look after me."

She gestured to her other teammate who stood much taller than pretty much every student in the courtyard. He had dark, short, hair, dressed in green, and carried a giant one-sided sword on his back.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago. What happened?" Weiss asked.

"Nothing happened. It was just… there were just so many."

The group just looked at her in silence. Sympathy written on their faces.

"Oh, but don't worry. You first years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

"Riiiiight," Yang said.

"I should go. Be safe, okay?"

She rejoined her team with a wave.

"Let's not get discouraged now, right?" Lance said.

"Right. We can do this. We've never backed down before and we're not going to start now," Ruby said.

"Right,' Blake agreed.

"Besides, it won't only be us out there. We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!"

"Yeah!" Yang said.

Lance felt his heart almost skip a beat. The fire he had only grew. They pressed onwards towards the airships.

* * *

They walked towards where their ship would be waiting for them.

"That's the ship over there, right?" Weiss asked, pointing.

"Yup. Seems like it," Blake replied.

"I wonder who the Hunter we're gonna be shadowing is," Lance said.

"I hope it's someone really cool!" Ruby said.

"Guess there's only one way to find out," Yang said.

They started walking towards the airship but stopped when they saw someone leaving the aircraft.

"Wait a sec..." Yang said.

The person finished walking down the ramp. He adjusted his glasses and walked forward. Team RWBY were in disbelief and it was made evident on their faces. Lance, while surprised, had a smile on his face when he saw that it was their history teacher, Oobleck.

"Hello team RWBY! Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

He did a small gesture as he asked his question. He was dressed in safari gear, complete with a safari hat and over packed backpack.

"Professor Ooblack?" Weiss said.

"Yes, I'm afraid those bags won't be necessary, seeing as you opted to shadow a Huntsman on what is now essentially a reconnaissance mission. I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations, rather we will be traversing several miles of hazardous wasteland and making camp at any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all of our essentials myself, plotted the course, readied the airship, and!" He said rapid fire, pacing all the while. "It's doctor Oobleck," He finished, leaning in close to Weiss, squinting his eyes at her. "I didn't earn that PHD for fun, thank you very much."

He returned to where he stood, leaving Weiss confused and everyone else a tad bit overwhelmed.

"Uhhh?" Weiss said.

"Come now, children! According to my schedule we are already three minutes behind schedule!"

With that, he zipped to the airship.

"This'll be exciting," Lance said, smiling.

"With Oobleck? Really?" Yang asked.

"He's energetic, isn't he? He's entertaining to watch in class."

"Well alright then! Looks like we'll be saving the world with Dr. Oobleck… Yeah okay, when you say it out loud it sound worse…" Ruby said.

"Save the world!?"

Hearing Nora's voice behind him made Lance jump a little bit. He turned around to see her and the rest of team JNPR.

"You're going on world saving missions without us!? I'm hurt, sad, maybe a little hungry? That last one's not your fault though. Ren…" She said, glaring at him with clenched fist. He just crossed his arms and turned away.

"Sounds exciting. Where ya going?" Jaune asked.

"Oh, just outside the kingdom," Ruby said.

"Hey, so are we," Nora said.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village," Pyrrha added.

"We set out tomorrow," Ren said.

"Hey, then you can party with us tonight!" Neptune said.

He and Sun walked over, joining the group.

"We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner city detective stuff. We get junior badges," he continued.

At hearing that, Jaune had stars in his eyes.

"Ooooohhhhh."

"We normally go to the city with you guys which means stuff's always exploding and junk. So we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's y'know. Normal," Sun said.

"Hey, at least it's not boring," Lance said.

"I think I'd take boring over life threatening," Sun jested.

"Four minutes, students!" Oobleck called from the ship.

"Well, uh… Wish us luck," Ruby said.

The teams turned, going their separate ways. They walked to the airship, boarded, and were soon taking off.

* * *

Lance looked out one of the open doors of the airship. He gripped the handle he was holding a little tighter and moved closer into the airship.

"So, Oobleck. Honestly I wasn't expecting you to be the Huntsman we would be shadowing," Lance said.

"Yeah, I never really pictured you as, well. A fighter," Yang added.

"I did fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you as a Huntsman I've had my fair share of tussles."

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby said, scratching her head.

"Those are truffles," Blake said.

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are brussels," Yang said.

"Besides, given my expertise in history, as well as my dabblings in the archeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular assignment," Oobleck said.

"What does history have to do with this?" Weiss asked.

"Why, what a preposterous question you silly girl. History is the backbone of our very society! And the liver! Probably the kidneys if I were to wager."

"And that means?"

"The South-East quadrant outside of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves; but it is also the location to one of the kingdoms greatest failures."

"Mountain Glenn," Ruby said.

"That's right! It was an expansion of Vale. But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city…"

"What a tragedy…" Lance said.

"Correct! And now it stands abandoned as a dark reminder." Oobleck said.

"And a likely place for a hideout," Blake said.

Oobleck adjusted his glasses, giving a smile as he did.

"Precisely."

Looking out the door once again, Lance noticed weathered, worn down, buildings. Piles of rubble littered the desolate streets. The aircraft slowed as it descended, ultimately gliding just above a street. They jumped out of the ship and it flew off.

On the ground it was more of the same as it was from the view in the ship. It was quiet; the only sound heard was the subtle wind blowing. They all were ready for anything, except Oobleck who just stood there with his thermos.

"You still may be students, but as of this moment your first mission as Hunter and Huntresses has begun. From this point forward you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"

They all nodded their answer.

"Ruby! I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school?"

"But, uhh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet. So I didn't."

He took a moment.

"She's not wrong," He said under his breath.

"Very well Ruby, leave your bag here and we can pick it up upon our return."

"But I, well," Ruby stuttered.

"C'mon Ruby. It'll be here when we come back. No need to worry," Lance said.

"Young lady! What could you possibly have in that bag that can be so important to bring with-"

Oobleck was cut off when Zwei popped his head out of Ruby's backpack.

They all stared at the Ruby and the dog.

"Get back in the bag," Ruby whispered.

Zwei just barked a response.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility and you brought… a dog?" Oobleck said.

Ruby searched for words, but struggled.

"Genius!"

Oobleck grabbed Zwei, holding him up and spinning around. He went on about how advantageous it was to have a dog, but Lance just stood with his mouth hanging open.

"I'm a genius," Ruby said.

"So what are your orders doctor?" Blake asked.

"Ah, yes. Straight to the chase. I like it! As you've been informed, the South-East area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior; one of which being… Grimm."

They looked at each other with confusion on their faces.

"Grimm. A creature of Grimm; approximately one-hundred yards from us at this very moment."

They turned around to see a single beowolf walking into view from behind a building. The entirety of team RWBY took out their weapons, ready to attack.

Oobleck held up a hand.

"Stop. There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area. The most likely of which would be their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred. All qualities are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent."

"So… What now?" Ruby asked.

"We wait. We track. If this specimen leads us to its pack. That pack may subsequently lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Yang asked.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Lone Grimm have been known to stay isolated from the pack for months- and there's the whole pack."

More beowolves came from the same street.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"And now they've seen us."

"What!?"

"AND NOW THEY'VE SEEN US."

"I take it tracking is out of the question?" Ruby asked.

"Seems like it," Lance said.

"What's the plan then?" Yang asked.

The Grimm charged at them. Bloodlust was in their eyes and they were closing in fast. They turned to Oobleck, looking for his answer.

"Show me what you're capable of."


	6. Chapter 6

**YOOO NEW CHAPTER. I spent quite some time on this one, so I hope it is to your liking. Looking forward to progressing this story. Hope ya like it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Search Continues**

"Cover your ears, Zwei," Ruby said, prepping to fire Crescent Rose.

More beowolves charged towards them. Aside from Ruby and Oobleck, the rest pressed on towards the creatures. Lance readied his first attack as he closed in on the Grimm. He leapt forward, meeting one of the beowolves in a jump as well. Using his semblance, he shot forward, slicing the Grimm in two before it could attack.

Two more Grimm tried to attack as soon as he landed from his leap. Using the momentum from his first swing, he spun, attacking the two Grimm. Another tried to swipe down with both claws. They were met with Regalia's blade. Lance used both hands to push back against the beast. It snarled and snapped the air, but Lance kept his ground.

He mustered the strength using his aura to propel the attack to the side. In the same motion, he positioned the blade so the beowolf would fall onto Regalia. The blade pierced the creature as it released a roar. Lance further sunk the blade into it. He then stepped back, pulling the blade out of the beowolf, spinning, and decapitating it. He looked for the next immediate threat, but saw that his comrades have dispatched the rest of them.

He placed Regalia on his back, regrouping with Oobleck.

"Heh, piece of cake," Ruby said.

"Do not celebrate yet. For I am certain that this is the first bout of many. Shall we continue?" Oobleck said.

* * *

Lance sighed, resting Regalia on his shoulder. The slain Grimm began to disintegrate, emitting a dark smoke that dispersed shortly after it rose.

"Man, there's a whole lot more than I thought there would be."

He caught his breath and moved back to regroup once again.

"Unfortunately it doesn't seem that there's any sign of criminal operations in this sector. Oh well, moving on," Oobleck said.

Lance once again placed Regalia on his back and followed Oobleck.

"Hey doc, y'know I was actually looking forward to seeing a pro huntsman in action. Like, fighting or at least helping us fight," Yang said.

"Ah, but I am in action! Scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity."

He stopped, turning to face everyone.

"Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination. Remember, this is a job and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."

"Well, yeah. O-of course."

Oobleck hummed his reply, raising a brow from behind his glasses. Without another word he turned and began to press on. With a sigh, Yang started to follow as everyone else followed suit.

"It's alright, Yang," Lance said, giving a smile.

"Yeah, if by 'alright' you meant totally lame, then yeah. It's alright."

"Remember why we're here, Yang," Blake chimed in.

"I get it, but still. Why are we stuck doing all the work?"

"Well, because we're students I guess. I trust Oobleck knows what he's doing, and honestly I don't mind the extra fighting. I get to brush up on fighting Grimm," Lance said.

"I guess… Still, I can't help but feel kind of disappointed. And tired," She said.

"We still got time. Maybe we'll see Oobleck in action soon enough."

"Who knows? We did just start this mission," Blake said.

"It's something to think about. Until then let's do the best we can," Lance said.

Yang smiled a small smile.

"You guys are right. Thanks."

"No problem, Yang," Blake said.

"Anytime," Lance added.

They caught up with the rest of the group and continued searching the area.

* * *

Lance sat on a curb, his weary arms resting on his knees as he looked over at his team and Oobleck. Ruby was playing with Zwei. Oobleck scanned the perimeter, looking for anything of interest. Weiss, Blake, and Yang stood together, resting and waiting for orders. Lance shut his eyes, taking advantage of the peace they had for the moment.

"Sorry! Uhhh, are we ready to keep going?" Ruby asked.

Lance opened his eyes and saw Oobleck standing over by Ruby.

"No, I believe that'll have to do for today. It's going to be dark soon," Oobleck said.

He threw a bag towards the three standing close by, which Yang caught.

"You four, set up camp in that building. Oh, and please do make sure no more of those… creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come Ruby!"

He walked off, Ruby and Zwei following.

Lance stood from his curb. He walked over to join the rest of the group.

"I'll check for Grimm. I know they said they'll check the perimeter, but I'll do a quick sweep. You guys just take care of setting up, okay?"

"Sure thing, Lance," Blake said.

"Just don't take too long. You better not be slacking off," Weiss added.

"Trust me, I won't be. I'll be back as soon as I can," Lance said taking a few paces away from the group.

He took brief mental notes of the location before walking off on his route. Lance walked on, checking alley ways and streets as he continued. He took a breath looking up at the sky. Thoughts and daydreams rushed through his mind, but before he could delve any deeper into them he heard the growls of more Beowolves.

He drew Regalia and followed the sounds. As he rounded a corner four Beowolves were sniffing out their next prey. Their attention turned to him as he stepped out in the middle of the street. Their growls became louder as they began to move in closer. Lance took a deep breath. He raised his blade and took a fighting stance. The Grimm began to pick up their pace. As they did, Lance began to run towards them, Regalia at the ready.

Using his aura, he propelled himself even faster. Before the creatures could unleash their first attack, Lance slashed through the first one. Using that same momentum, he spun and beheaded the second. He took out the third on the upswing of his sword, jumping in the air. He then slashed through the arm of the last Beowolf as it tried to defend itself.

It let out a roar, reeling back. It regained its composure and lifted its only arm to attack, but Lance was at the ready, plunging his sword into its torso. The beast went limp on Regalia. He put his foot on the corpse, pushing it off and pulling his sword away.

He looked at the four lifeless Grimm. He walked along back towards his original path, sheathing Regalia as he did.

* * *

"I can't believe we didn't find anything," Yang said.

Blake, Yang, and Weiss stood around a fire made inside of the building they'd call camp for the night. The sun was already setting and orange light spilled through the windows and few openings in the walls.

"We've always been fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I guess we can't always have luck on our side," Blake said.

"That's not what I meant," Weiss said.

"Huh?"

"Earlier. About upholding the legacy. When Oobleck asked about why I wanted to be a huntress. There's more to it than just that."

"He asked me the same question too," Yang said.

She looked into the fire, taking a moment.

"Y'know, yeah. Me too. I said I was a thrill seeker wanting to help people along the way, but… I dunno…"

"I don't know either. I know that I want to make a change, but I figured I'd just take things one step at a time," Blake added.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We know why we're here. Right…?"

They all stood, staring into the fire. Silence washing over them.

"Ah, wonderful! A textbook campfire!" Oobleck said rushing to the fire.

"Fire! So warm," Ruby said, kneeling towards the fire, holding her hands towards it.

"Very good! Now eat your dinners and hurry to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns keeping watch over our temporary abode. Now, any volunteers for first watch?"

Ruby held up a hand.

"Yo."

"Wait. Where's Lance?" Oobleck asked.

"He said he was going to patrol. We setup camp and he's still not back yet," Weiss said.

"Hmm, something could've happened to him. You all eat and get rest. I will scour the area and find Lance. The last thing we need is for all of us to get separated. Keep watch and I should return shortly!"

They nodded their response and Oobleck bolted out the door. They gave concerning looks, but settled in and did as they were told.

Yang knelt next to Ruby, seeing a similar concerned face on her as well.

"He'll be fine, sis. I know it…"

* * *

Lance cut down yet another Grimm. He rested his blade on his shoulder, breathing hard. Sweat was forming on his forehead and his muscles burned from over exerting them. Lance turned to continue his path, but he stopped when he saw Oobleck standing there to meet him.

"Out a tad bit late I see."

Lance placed his sword on his back.

"Sorry. I lost track of time."

"And busy. It seems as though something's on your mind. Tell me, Lance, what brings you out here so late?"

"Nothing. I just lost track of time when I was clearing the area."

"Don't lie to me, Lance. For starters, I doubt that you'd have known you lost track of time with it already being sunset. I also know that you weren't given specific orders to check the perimeter. That was your leaders and my job. Furthermore, this is unnecessarily far from camp; so much so, that the Grimm shouldn't bother us or be aware of our location."

Lance turned his gaze downward, heaving a sigh.

"I just want to be stronger. I want to be the best hunter I can be and be the hero I always wanted to be."

Oobleck raised his eyebrows at him.

"I know it's lame and childish, but it's what I want to do… I don't really feel strong enough."

"So you come out here and slay Grimm in hopes of miraculously gaining this strength you seek?"

"Well…" Lance trailed off, grabbing his arm with his hand.

"There is more to being a hunter than just physical strength. Endangering yourself like this is simply foolish."

Lance lowered his head, his grip on his own arm growing tighter.

"With that said, you show much prowess."

Lance looked up at him with confusion on his face.

"You didn't need to dispatch all these Grimm for me to see that. You're heading down a proper path, Lance. Your goal is a noble one and I see a spark in your eyes. You show that strength other than just the physical you may be trying to attain," He continued.

Lance couldn't find any words. He just stood staring at his teacher.

"Well, enough dilly-dallying. We should hurry back to camp post haste! We have an early day tomorrow and we wasted enough time out here already."

Oobleck turned, starting to make his way back towards their camp. Lance stood for a second before snapping out of his own head and following him.

* * *

Lance rolled on top of his bed roll, attempting to pull his jacket tighter for more warmth. The sleep he managed to get left him. He opened his tired eyes to see Ruby on watch, perched with her rifle at the ready. He stared at the ceiling, seeing a beam that ran across it where Oobleck slept. He looked towards the fire, then to the rest of his teammates near him. The fire's warmth still emanating as the tongues of flame licked the air.

Lance watched the fire dance as he remembered Oobleck's words.

"Blake, are you awake?" Yang asked.

His eyes darted over to her, flinching a bit at the suddenness of her quiet voice.

"Yeah," She replied.

"Why do you think he asked us about being a huntress? Like, what was he trying to say?"

Lance searched his memory for what she was talking about. He thought about what she had said and it raised questions in his mind.

"Maybe he was just curious?"

"Ya think?" Yang asked as she rolled to her side to see Blake.

"No…"

She let out a sigh, rolling over to her back once again.

"Weiss, are you awake?"

"Of course I'm awake! You two are talking!" Weiss whispered back.

"And I think he… When I said I wanted to honor my family's name, I meant it, but… It's not what you think. I'm not stupid. I'm fully aware of what my father has done with the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control our business has operated in a… moral grey area," She continued.

"That's putting it lightly," Blake said.

"Which is why I feel the need to make things right."

Weiss sat up on her bed roll. Her glare towards Blake softened as quick as it came, turning downcast away from her.

"If I had taken a job in Atlas it wouldn't have changed anything. My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

She lied back down after her words. Lance felt a twinge of a mix of sympathy and empathy towards Weiss. Memories of his father came back to him. Most good, some bad, and then that fateful moment back at Beacon's courtyard popped into his head. He frowned at the thought, which opened flood gates to more feelings. Thoughts of when he hurt his sister, Crystal. Thoughts of Yang and his relationship popped into his head and all the mix of emotions it brought. Thoughts of whether or not Sora and Sonia were safe, or even alive.

He did his best to brush those thoughts aside, but they welled in him. He rolled onto his side to face them, propping himself up as he did. First Blake noticed, followed by Weiss and Yang turning their attention to him at the sound of him rolling over and seeing Blake's eye line trail towards him.

"I understand what you mean, Weiss. Maybe not to that extent and I don't have a grandiose title to live up to. I do understand wanting to honor your family though."

"Lance? I figured you were asleep," Weiss said.

"Yeah, you were out later than all of us. You probably should be asleep," Yang chimed in.

"I wasn't much later. I went to bed close to when you guys turned in."

"What do you mean though? What you said earlier," Weiss asked.

"Well, when I was younger I always worried about living up to expectations. Maybe honor is the wrong word, but I wanted to make my family proud. I felt like I always had this pressure to succeed and usually ended up kinda… giving up."

Silence swept over the group, listening to Lance as he continued.

"I thought it better to not try at all than fail."

"Isn't it failing if you don't even try?" Blake asked.

"Yeah… Dad told me that. Never really wrapped my head around it until recently."

"What's not to get? Seems pretty straight forward to me," Yang said.

"It is, but I was fairly, uhh… apathetic. When it came to fighting and things I enjoyed, I pretty much was focused on that. Honestly though, even when I was in my element, I felt off. I guess it's hard to explain. It's not too hard to see, I'm sure, but even now it nags at me here and there. Doubt, stress, pressure, all that."

"It gets to us all," Weiss said.

Blake nodded in agreement as she rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

"Did Oobleck ask why you wanted to be a hunter?" Yang asked.

"No, not really. I kind of just told him. I take it he asked you guys?" Lance said.

"Yeah. I just sort of told him I was a thrill seeker. If I could get my fill of excitement and adventure all the while helping people along the way, it just fell into place."

"What about you guys?" Lance asked.

"I told him that I was a Schnee. I had a reputation to live up to. You heard what I said about honor and what not," Weiss said.

"I wanted to make a difference in the world. He asked how and… I didn't know," Blake said.

Lance just listened to their tellings of their answers.

Moments passed before she continued.

"All my life. I fought for what I thought was right. I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be… not perfect for everyone."

She let out a sigh before continuing.

"I joined the academy because I knew huntsmen and huntresses were regarded as the most noble warriors in the world. Always fighting for good, but I never really thought past that. When I leave the academy what will I… How can I undo so many years of hate?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're not one to back down from a challenge, Blake," Yang said.

"But I am! I do it all the time. When you learned I was a Faunus, I didn't know what to do so I ran. When I realized my oldest partner had become a monster, I ran. Even my semblance. I was born with the ability to leave behind a shadow of myself. An empty copy that takes the hit while I run away."

Lance felt that same mix of empathy and sympathy towards her.

"I ran too…"

He felt their eyes turn to him.

"That was the past though. I'm learning… struggling to learn that my mistakes are in the past and I can't change them. We just have to… move on. Look to the future."

After the words left his mouth, no one else spoke up.

Yang let out a sigh after a few moments passed.

"At least you all have something that drives you. I've just kind of always gone with the flow, y'know? That's fine, I mean, that's who I am… But how long can I do that for? I want to be a huntress not really because I want to be a hero, but because I want the adventure. I want a life where I won't know what tomorrow will bring, and that'll be a good thing. Being a huntress just happens to line up with that."

She rolled back over, resting her head on her hand as she laid on her side looking towards the fire.

"I'm not like Ruby. She's always wanted to be a huntress. In a way, Lance, you and Ruby are pretty alike."

At this, Lance made eye contact with Yang. It then shifted to Ruby on her post. He couldn't hide the sincere smirk on his face. His gaze returned to Yang as she continued.

"It's like she said, ever since she was a kid she dreamt about being the heroes in the books. Helping people and saving the day and never asking for anything else in return. Even when she couldn't fight, she knew that's what she wanted to do. That's why she trained so hard to get where she is today."

"Well, she's still just a kid," Weiss said, sitting up.

"She's only two years younger. We're all kids," Blake said, rising as well.

"Well… Not anymore. I mean, look where we are. In the middle of a warzone and armed to the teeth," Yang said.

"It's the life we chose," Blake said.

"It's a job. We all had this romanticized vision of being a huntress in our heads. It seems like not all of us have quite learned that lesson," Weiss looked over at Lance, who gave a shy smile.

"Regardless, at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people; and whatever we want will have to come second."

Lance nodded his head.

"I don't disagree with that. I mean, that's the ultimate goal, right?"

He got nods of agreement from them all.

"We'll just keep doing the best we can. I know we'll figure it out," He continued.

"Right. In the meantime, we should get some shut eye," Yang said.

"Agreed. Tomorrow will probably be another full day of Grimm slaying," Blake said.

Lance laid back down, looking up at the ceiling.

"G'night," Yang said.

"Good night," Weiss said as well, followed by Blake.

"Yeah. G'night," Lance said.

* * *

Lance woke in the middle of the night. The others were still asleep and Yang was on watch. He rolled over, ready to go back to sleep, but he noticed something was out of place. He leaned up from his resting position and looked at the bedroll not too far from him. Curious, he got up to get a better look at the bedroll. As he drew closer, his tired eyes shot open.

"Where's Ruby?"

* * *

 **Hope ya liked this chapter! If ya did, leave a review! I'd greatly appreciate it! Until next time!**


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